Franconia Falls: Biking & Hiking & Yoga, oh my!

First of all, Hawk is crazy.  He has this “romantic” habit of spending far too much money on me, frequently in the practical form of hiking gear and such.  His latest gift (which shall count for early xmas) was a new bicycle!  True, I did “need” one if I wanted to get back into biking, which would also allow us more opportunities for new shared activities, but I couldn’t justify the expense.  This obviously didn’t phase Hawk.  He picked out a nice, mid-range, all purpose trail bike that was relatively affordable (but still way more than I feel deserving of.)  Thankfully, REI carried it, so we do at least get a guarantee if for any reason the bike doesn’t work out for me.  So far though, it is proving to work out well!

Last weekend we did an official test ride on a local rail trail in Maine.  It was a nice mix of pavement and smooth gravel, perfect for my first big ride.  This weekend we took our bikes out to try them on low elevation hiking trail conditions, which is what I’m likely going to be spending more time on, compared to in-town riding.  And it definitely made me grateful to have the versatile trail model rather than a pure street bike. 

Hawk suggested we try Lincoln Woods trail, which is basically flat.  It also leads to a waterfall trail which neither of us had explored before, so he had a good bet I’d be interested, since I was looking to get more checkmarks for my Waterfall Chaser patch, and the deadline was coming up soon.  

His plan was to bike in on Lincoln Woods, then chain the bikes up at the trail junction, and hike the rest of the way to Franconia Falls, after which we would bike out.  This would make the mileage go a lot faster and easier.  Unfortunately part of his plan backfired.

But let’s start at the beginning.  

We decided to meet at the trailhead mid-morning.  Or at least as close to it as we could get.  Hawk knew how busy this place gets, so he guaranteed we’d be parking roadside.  Sure enough, cars were already overflowing from the parking lot and lining the road for some distance when we arrived.  On the plus side, this did mean we were off the hook for paying a fee to use the parking lot.  And with the bikes, the added distance was not as big a deal as if we were roadwalking to hike the entire trail.  However, one kind of dumb moment on my part found me passing Hawk’s parking spot on the opposite side of the road, and pulling up to where the cars ended on my side.  Now, on the surface this made sense, because for one it was closer to the trailhead.  But that section of roadside happened to be very slanty into the ditch, so I was a bit nervous pulling off there in my Camry compared to if I drove an SUV.  I cautiously made it off, though my doors certainly were difficult to open at that angle!  In hindsight, I really should have parked further back, where the side of the road was slightly wider and far more level.  That also would have put me closer to Hawk, who had the bikes, so I had to walk back to his vehicle anyway!  Oh well.  We made it work, and at the end of the day I managed to get my car safely out of that crazy ditch with only minor wheel spinning.

Our first half mile was road biking from Hawk’s car to the visitors’ center near the trailhead so we could use the bathrooms.  There’s no way I was not taking advantage of real plumbing!  From there we began our adventure down Lincoln Woods trail.  Hawk and I had taken The Poodle down part of this trail on one of our early dates a few years ago.  I remembered it being flat and smooth, so I anticipated an easy ride.  Both Hawk and I discovered, however, that memories of hiking trail conditions do not always coincide with reality when you’re on a bike.  Certainly the trail is flat enough, but it’s lined with old railroad ties, dips & bumps, and various sized rocks scattered along much of its 3.2 miles, all of which is quite a bit more challenging to navigate on a bike than on foot!  I truly don’t remember any of that being there.

(Aha!  This may partially explain my memory lapse.  The trail was covered in autumn leaves!  😂 ...)

Oct. 2018, also not quite as early a "date" as I thought. LOL

Despite the unexpectedly challenging trail, which I describe as just as much a mental workout as a physical one, what with all the dodging obstacles and aiming a bike through narrow tracks and such, we had fun and were both fairly proud of how well I handled it all for someone relearning bicycling after a few decades off.  I guess it's true after all what they say about not forgetting how to ride a bike.  I'll also note that I made use of some childhood horseback riding lessons, knowing to raise my butt off the seat when going over bumps to minimize impact.  (Which isn't quite what you do in a saddle, but the vague memory served it's purpose on my bike. 😉)

Along with the uneven trail conditions, there was also one water crossing.  Hawk knew about it, but was happy to find some larger boulders had recently been added to make hopping across easier.  Of course, we had the bikes with us, so that was an extra layer of challenge.  Hawk did the gentlemanly thing as usual and, after taking his own bike across, came back to carry mine so I didn't have to try to rock hop while hauling a bike.  I suspect that may not have gone very well.

Viewpoint along the trail. Great excuse for a quick rest. The Pemi is sadly low though, even after recent rains.

Unfortunately, switching from biking to hiking is where Hawk's plan took an unexpected turn…  (He explains his side in his blog.)

After the 3.2 mile trip down Lincoln Woods, we arrived at the trail junction.  It's a pretty spot with an old stone wall, past which is a bridge that overlooks the river.  Hawk later called this wall "the table" and used it as such to eat some snacks. LOL  After dismounting here, Hawk arranged our bikes against a kiosk post and wrapped his cable around them to lock them up while we hiked.  A minute later he approached me and said he did something stupid.  I jokingly guessed, "you forgot the key?"  He replied, "yup."  For some reason I thought the lock required the key to both lock and unlock it.  So I figured we were without a way to secure the bikes.  No, it was worse than that.  Hawk had locked them up with no way to free them!  

There they sit, safe from all, including us.

We discussed the situation, and Hawk decided I should go to the waterfall while he hiked back to his car to retrieve the key.  At average speed on foot, it would take him about two hours to accomplish that task.  That certainly gave me a lot of time to kill!  The spur trail was only a mile or so out and back.

I rarely hike alone, so I adjusted my mindset to this change.  Heading in separate directions, Hawk challenged himself to see just how fast he could hike, while I intentionally set a leisurely pace so not to end up waiting for him longer.  Luckily, there were plenty of pleasant sights and surroundings along my trail to pause at and enjoy.  I took advantage of a small clearing near a large, "energetically attractive" tree to do some quick stretches, and admire nature for a moment before I got moving.  (No, I didn't also hug the tree.)  There were also several paths leading off the trail down to the water, so you know I explored every single one of those.  (Yes, I probably would have anyway, which likely made Hawk thankful he wasn't with me.)

The first small cascade was barely two minutes down the trail.

In the opposite direction you can see how close I still am to the bridge by the trail junction.

Despite taking my time, I made it to the primary waterfall area in short order.  The attraction was more of a series of cascades than an impressive waterfall, but it was still beautiful.  The smooth rock formations carved by the river were like waves themselves, and there were plenty of people out exploring them on this summer day.  Many of the people were in bathing suits; some brave enough to actually swim in the cold pools.  In one spot there is a swimming hole deep enough that you can base jump off a boulder into the water.  At least I assume it's deep enough, as I heard someone do it, and saw that he survived.

Franconia Falls

Nice viewpoint over the river.

One of the swimming holes.

Down one of the paths to the river, I found myself on a lovely smooth boulder, slightly slanting towards a pretty basin waterfall.  The sky above me was bright blue, randomly scattered with puffs of white clouds.  The temperature was practically perfect for outdoor activities.  I decided to sit here and enjoy the atmosphere for a while.  Of course, I'm not great at sitting still, so that led me to do a little impromptu yoga.  I spent 15 minutes doing various stretches & poses on that rock.  It was awesome!

This was my view from my "stone yoga mat."

Once I felt complete with this location, I moved on down the line, continuing to explore each corner.  Near the end of the trail, on the final side paths (which seemed lesser used, judging by the cobwebs), I suddenly had a visitor.  Basically, I got attacked by a butterfly!  It was all over me, frantically circling around me so fast I could barely track it, bouncing off my body and arms, briefly landing on my shoulder, head, etc.  Definitely an unusual experience.  This butterfly was particularly persistent!  It followed me between the last two viewpoints, continuing it's curious behavior, until it eventually disappeared shortly before I was ready to move on.  My shamanic training of course had me searching my brain for the symbolism of this encounter.  In any case, it was neat.  

My butterfly friend.

My hike out was pretty standard.  Eyeing the clock, I tried not to rush it, but simply by not taking detours this time, it naturally went a bit quicker.  I reached the trail junction where the bikes remained locked to the post, and tracked my mileage.  With all my exploring, I had extended the falls trail to 1.6 miles of hiking.  Unfortunately I had only killed about half the time before Hawk expected to make it back.  

I considered my options.  Lincoln Woods is considered the "gateway to the Pemigewasset Wilderness," so there are many other trails that connect near this spot.  I browsed the alltrails map to see what looked appealing and manageable.  There were a couple potentially reasonable places I could check out, but I was slightly concerned about my timing, esp with no way for Hawk & I to communicate, since there's no cell service in the area.  I also didn't want to hike too hard or far and burn my body out.  I did still have to ride another three miles out of there, when Hawk eventually got the bikes free!  And so, because I also couldn't just stand around waiting, I decided to meander back down Lincoln Woods, pausing several times to take in the oft missed nuances of nature, and to rest & snack when I found a good sitting rock.  Interestingly, at one point while I was walking, another butterfly came over to say hi to me!  This one did not accost me though.  Perhaps just checking in to make sure whatever message they had for me got through?

Along Lincoln Woods trail, there is a pair of signs; the first, on your way in, asks you how many paces is 200 feet, and directs you to start counting there.  Something to keep kids engaged.  200 feet down the trail (well, I assume they measured correctly, and didn't just stick it in a random spot), the second sign marks the distance and asks what number you got.  As I walked the opposite direction, I decided to entertain myself by counting my steps.  Because why not?  I got about 70, which Hawk later said is approximately what he got as well, when he did it on a previous hike here.

Half a mile or so down the trail, I finally spotted Hawk.  I say "finally" but I could just as easily say "surprisingly."  He made insanely fast time!  In the end he calculated hiking at over 4 mph!  This may be a new record for him.  He also confirmed that the trail is much easier on foot than on bicycle.  Still, he was in need of food after burning all those calories.  I was just glad that he at least had some water in his car and was able to hydrate.

After meeting under a bowed tree, which I thought was a nice touch, we hiked back together to the bikes, where Hawk dug into his saddlebags for snacks and water.  We hung out for a bit while he refueled and recharged, until at last he released the bikes from their chain.  I told him about the waterfall area, and asked him if he wanted to go see it first, but he was understandably ready to just bike out and be done.  My hiking had totaled 3 miles on top of our altogether 7.4 miles of biking over the day, coming to nearly ten and half miles of activity, but Hawk had done the extra out & back on Lincoln Woods, as well as the half mile between the trailhead and where he parked, so his on-foot total was an extra 7.4 miles!  Not that 15 mostly-flat miles of activity is even close to too much for him, but it's still a lot.  I'm just glad I didn't have to do it, because it's definitely beyond my reasonable range.

Back home - much later in the day than we originally anticipated - we both enjoyed not doing much besides sitting on the couch together for a while, watching a bit of tv, doing some sudoku, and most importantly, recovering from our adventure.

Hike 35. 8/27 Franconia Falls bike hike, 10.4 mi, 3:03 hrs, 587 ft.